City government · Seminole County, FL

Sanford's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Sanford took in $149 million and spent $130 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes40%Fees for services (water, garbage collection)36%State tax money10%Fines and other8.4%Federal tax money2.5%County and local tax money2.4%

What stands out

17%

of Sanford's money comes from taxes other than property, sales and income taxes.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.2%.

City taxes40%

Property tax
23%$33.9 million
Other taxes
17%$26.0 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; occupation and business licenses and 3 more
  • Public utility taxes$9.9 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$7.4 million
  • Motor fuel taxes$6.0 million
  • Other licenses$1.6 million
  • Insurance premium taxes$1.2 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services36%

Fees for services
36%$54.3 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; garbage collection and 5 more
  • Water$32.3 million
  • Garbage collection$6.9 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$6.4 million
  • Other service charges$5.3 million
  • Parks and recreation$3.2 million
  • Road charges$93 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$23 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money2.5%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
2.5%$3.8 million

State tax money10%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
10%$15.0 million

County and local tax money2.4%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
2.4%$3.6 million

Fines and other8.4%

Interest, rents and other
8.2%$12.3 million
Fines
0.2%$310 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities30%Police, fire, courts and jails29%Running the government and other costs13%Parks, recreation and libraries8.9%Roads, transit and parking7.8%All other spending12%

What stands out

6.3%

of Sanford's spending goes to health services and hospitals.Most U.S. cities of 50,000+ people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
30%$38.9 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and garbage and solid waste
  • Sewer systems$31.6 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$7.3 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
29%$38.2 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$21.5 million
  • Fire protection$14.3 million
  • Inspections and regulation$2.1 million
  • Courts and legal services$345 thousand
Running the government and other costs
13%$16.4 million
What's in running the government and other costsFinance, tax collection and budgeting; other and not broken out and 1 more
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$10.3 million
  • Other and not broken out$3.4 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$2.7 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.9%$11.6 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$11.6 million
Roads, transit and parking
7.8%$10.2 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$10.2 million
Health and hospitals
6.3%$8.3 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$8.3 million
Social services
1.9%$2.5 million
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$2.5 million
Environment and natural resources
1.6%$2.0 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$2.0 million
Interest on debt
1.1%$1.4 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on water supply debt and interest on general debt
  • Interest on water supply debt$731 thousand
  • Interest on general debt$708 thousand
Housing and community development
0.8%$1.0 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Sanford. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Sanford itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.